Pentagon preparing for ground operations in Iran, US officials tell the Washington Post

The Pentagon is preparing for ground operations in Iran, U.S. officials told the Washington Post, as thousands of soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become a new, dangerous phase of the war if President Donald Trump chooses to escalate the war.

Any potential ground operation would not constitute a large-scale invasion and could instead involve raids combining special forces and conventional infantry troops, said the officials, who requested anonymity. Such a mission could expose U.S. personnel to a variety of threats, including Iranian drones and missiles, ground fire and improvised explosive devices.

The Trump administration has oscillated in recent days between ending the war and threatening to escalate it, the Washington Post also noted. While the president has expressed a desire to negotiate an end to the war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that if the Tehran regime does not end its nuclear ambitions and threats against the United States and its allies, the president is "ready to unleash hell" against them. In a statement responding to reporters’ questions, she said: "It is the Pentagon’s role to prepare in order to give the commander in chief the maximum range of options. That does not mean the president has made a decision."

Administration discussions in the past month have focused on the possible seizure of Kharg Island, a key point for Iranian oil exports in the Persian Gulf, and on raids in other coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz to destroy weapons that could target commercial and military shipping, officials said.

Speaking on March 20 in the Oval Office, Donald Trump told reporters: "I’m not sending troops anywhere. And if I did, I certainly wouldn’t tell you."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking Friday in France after a meeting with allies concerned about the growing economic impact of the war, told reporters that this conflict "will not be prolonged." He repeated the administration’s frequent, albeit vague, assessment that the operation is ahead of schedule, and added that the United States "can achieve all its objectives without ground troops," the newspaper also reported.

The prospect of deploying American combat troops on Iranian soil faces significant opposition among Americans, according to recent polls. One of them, conducted jointly by the Associated Press and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, found that 62 percent of respondents are strongly opposed to using ground troops in Iran, while only 12 percent are in favor.